


A Pirate Captured

by zubeneschamali



Series: Little Lord Ackles [10]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M, oh no another cliffhanger, pirate!jared, virgin!Jensen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-10 05:50:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19900858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zubeneschamali/pseuds/zubeneschamali
Summary: Part ten in the Little Lord Ackles 'verse. Jared's been detained from meeting Jensen, and it's not clear to him how he's going to find his way out.





	A Pirate Captured

**Author's Note:**

> Getting towards the end here, folks; got a few more chapters and then the conclusion. But in the meantime...

The wooden boards were hard and rough beneath Jared's head, and he was pretty sure there was a splinter digging into his cheek. The rough gag was chafing the sides of his mouth, and the ropes around his wrists were cutting into his skin. There was dried blood, itchy and crusting, at his temple from where he'd been struck in the alley, a split second after seeing Huffman out of the corner of his eye.

But all of that paled in comparison to the fear curdling Jared's stomach. 

Pellegrino had sent Aldis off with strict instructions to bring Jensen back with him, or Jared would pay the consequences. He'd even given a demonstration, made Jared balance on the edge of a board propped on the gunwale, hands bound behind him, the rest of the plank hanging out over empty water. 

Jared had tried to tell Aldis not to do it, even after feeling his heart nearly leap out of his chest at seeing all of that empty space out in front of him. But they'd gagged him at that point, and he knew full well that Aldis wouldn't listen anyway. Which meant that _Jensen_ wouldn’t listen, and then Jared was going to have to figure out how to get all of them safely off the ship of a pirate who'd already been humiliated by them once.

He'd be lucky if they weren't all walking the plank by the end of the night. 

Suddenly, a hand gripped Jared's hair and yanked his head up. He managed not to yelp as he was hauled to a sitting position. From the feeling of nails digging into his scalp, he was certain it was Huffman, and he twisted to try and escape her grip.

There was the ring of steel being drawn, and then a sword was resting on Jared's shoulder, the blade almost kissing the side of his neck. "Sit still," Huffman growled.

Jared swallowed hard and tried his best to balance with the rocking of the ship. The moon was nearly full overhead, and he could see almost all of Pellegrino's crew gathered on the main deck. The captain himself was standing in the center of the deck, looking out into the night. Above the slap of the waves against the sides of the ship, Jared thought he heard something, and he strained his ears.

It was oars, he decided, a second before a man at the railing called out, "It's him!"

Jared growled low in his throat, but the sword at his neck kept him from moving. He twisted his wrists in their bonds, trying to feel for a loose piece of rope or a knot he could pick at. There was no way he was going to let Jensen give Pellegrino what he wanted. Not while he himself still had breath to fight.

There was a thump, and then a scrabbling sound at the gunwale. Two men bent over the edge, hauling up Aldis only to deposit him roughly on the deck. They leaned back over, but Jensen was already clambering over the railing to land lightly on his feet.

Jared's breath caught at the sight of him. He was dressed as finely as Jared had ever seen him, ruffled lace at his throat and fine linen tucked into polished boots. His gaze swept over the assembled crew as if he was merely looking over the crowd at the market, not the men and women who'd already held him prisoner once. Jared _knew_ how much Jensen feared Pellegrino after his time trapped in the man's cabin. To see him looking so calm and regal in the face of his fear only made Jared more proud of his little lord. 

When Jensen's gaze landed on Jared, the calm vanished as his lips parted on an indrawn breath, a series of emotions flashing across his face. He took in the sword at Jared's neck, the way he was bound, and then, finally, he met Jared's eyes.

Jared looked back at him for a long moment, trying to convey his trust in Jensen despite their desperate situation. Then, on a sudden impulse, he winked.

Jensen's eyes widened before his expression softened the smallest bit. Then he turned to Pellegrino and folded his arms across his chest, looking resolute once more. "I'm here," he said loudly and clearly. "As you asked. So let Padalecki go."

Jared grumbled against the gag, something about Jensen being an idiot, but the sound was muffled. Jensen cast him a quick glance, and along with the fear and relief still on his face, there was a hint of something else. It was confidence, the kind that Jared had seen when Jensen took a sword in his hand and helped to defend Jared's ship, and it gave Jared a sliver of hope that they might make it out of this.

Pellegrino scoffed. "That wasn't the deal, Ackles. I'm not trading him for you. I'm keeping him off the plank. At least for now."

Jensen's eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward. Pellegrino almost casually raised his sword, the tip hovering in Jensen's direction, and Jensen went still.

"You, though." Pellegrino motioned towards Aldis. "You kept your side of our bargain, so I'll keep mine."

Aldis's hands were clenched into fists at his sides. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"In my cabin," Pellegrino replied. "Take your little bird and go."

Jensen's mouth briefly tightened, and he nodded to himself as if in sudden understanding. Aldis was already moving, crossing the deck of the ship to open the door of the captain's cabin. A moment later, he emerged with Riesgraf close behind him, their hands clasped together. He cast an apologetic look at Jensen and said, "If I'd said anything, your—you might not have—" 

Jensen shook his head impatiently and swept his hand to the side. "Go on, get out of here," he said.

No one obstructed their path, and Aldis and Beth were soon climbing over the gunwale where Jensen had boarded the ship. A moment later, there was the splash of oars, and the men and women leaning over the railing turned back towards the ship.

Jensen turned back to Pellegrino as well. "You should let Padalecki go, too," he said. "I know I'm the one you want."

Behind Jared, Huffman, muttered, "Cap'n's not the only one who wants," and it was only the blade at his neck that kept Jared from trying to slug her for saying such things.

"You think awfully highly of yourself," Pellegrino was saying. "You should give your lover some credit, too. If it wasn't for him, you never would have gotten out of my hands in the first place. You both owe me for that."

Jensen folded his arms across his chest and raised his chin. "Then I challenge you to a duel." 

The ship exploded in raucous laughter. Pirates were elbowing each other in their sides, and even Pellegrino had his head thrown back on a guffaw. "With what?" he demanded. He gestured at Jensen. "You have no sword. You don't even have a knife."

"What about the blade between his legs?" came a shout from the upper deck, and the crew's laughter drowned out the rest of the bawdy suggestion about testing its length.

Jared growled and ducked away from Huffman's sword, trying to rise to his feet. She kicked at the back of his knee and kept him down. "Don't worry, you'll have your turn," she purred in his ear.

"What are you afraid of, Pellegrino?" Jensen's voice was loud and clear, cutting through the laughter like a dagger. He was smirking as he went on, "Afraid you'll lose?"

Mutters and rumblings were spreading all around Jared, and he smiled against his gag at Jensen's cleverness.

"Afraid?" Pellegrino abruptly barked. "There's not a man on these seas who's bested me with a sword."

"Then you've nothing to worry about." Jensen put his hands on his hips. "Two swords, you and me. Whoever wins decides my fate and Padalecki's."

Pellegrino was snarling something fierce now, but Jared knew he had to give in. If not, he risked looking like he _was_ afraid in front of his whole crew. The thing was, Jared knew he was right to say he'd never been defeated. Or if he had, it had been so long ago that he'd managed to make everyone forget it since. Jared knew Jensen was better with a sword than the pampered son of a governor had any right to be, but he had no idea if it would be good enough.

A moment later, Pellegrino turned and pointed at Huffman. "Keep an eye on him," he said, glaring at Jared. "If Ackles tries anything underhanded, slit his throat."

"Hey!" Jensen barked, but Huffman was winding her fingers through Jared's hair and pulling his head back so that his throat was bared to her blade. He went as still as he could, keeping his eyes on Jensen despite the awkward angle of his head.

"You don't need to do that," Jensen said, his voice rough. "That’s not how a duel works."

Pellegrino chuckled. "You're mistaking me for someone with honor," he said. He raised his sword again. "My ship, my rules. Get a sword from someone, and you can try and match me."

Jared shouted uselessly against the gag. The pirates were all whooping and hollering again, making suggestions about what Jensen could do in order to get one of their weapons, and Jared wanted to punch every one of them.

"He can have mine." Huffman stood up, using her grip on Jared's hair to pull him along with her. He staggered upright to ease the pull on his hair, stopping when she put the flat of the blade against his shoulder. "I'll even prime it for him."

With a flick of her wrist, she held the sword out.

Instantly, Jared felt the sting of the slash in his upper arm. He looked down to see a tear in the fine white linen he'd been wearing to visit the governor's office, and a second later, blood was spilling out over the fabric.

Jensen's face went white, and Pellegrino smirked. Huffman tossed the sword out so that it clattered onto the deck before pulling a small knife from her belt and holding it near Jared's neck. 

When Jensen ducked to pick up her sword, there was a long line of Jared's blood staining the blade. He gave Jared's shoulder a long look before grimly meeting Jared's gaze, and Jared could read the promise there as if he'd said it out loud.

Jared had no idea how it was going to happen, but Jensen was going to get them off of this ship.

How much Jared would still be bleeding when it happened…that was another matter.


End file.
